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Game 11

UC Davis Aggies (5-5)
at
Cal State Fullerton Titans (7-2-1)
 
Thursday, Oct. 3 – 7 p.m.
Titan Stadium (10,000) – Fullerton, Calif.  
 
Video
Live Stats
Tickets
 
Game 12
 
UC Davis Aggies
at
UC Irvine Anteaters (1-9)
 
Sunday, Oct. 6 – 1 p.m.
Anteater Stadium (2,500) – Irvine, Calif.
 
Live Stats
Tickets

 
DAVIS, Calif. – The battle for a spot in this year's Big West Tournament officially begins this week since each team will compete in their first league games of the year. UC Davis will head to Southern California for its first pair of conference matches, starting with Thursday night's BWC opener at Cal State Fullerton.
 
Two days later, the Aggies will face UC Irvine before returning home for their inaugural set of Big West home games.
 
In addition to live stats for both games, a link to watch Thursday's contest against the Titans is available at UCDavisAggies.com.
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
UC Davis will bring its three-game unbeaten streak against Cal State Fullerton to Titan Stadium Thursday night in each team's Big West Conference opener. In 2016 and 2018, the Aggies earned home victories; between those results was a 1-1 draw that took place during their last visit to Fullerton.
 
The Titans will also bring an unbeaten streak of its own when they face the Aggies since they have not dropped a game in their last six matches. Following their 2-1 loss at Utah Valley, which took place on Sept. 2, CSF won their next five in a row — at home against Houston, Kansas State, at Missouri, at LMU and at home versus Weber State — before battling to a 3-3 draw last Friday at San Francisco.
 
Senior midfielder Atlanta Primus leads Cal State Fullerton's attack and has scored, or earned an assist, in all but one of the team's 10 matches this year. Her seven goals tie her with senior forward Maddie Bennett for the most scored by a Titan this season.
 
Bennett and Primus are responsible for all but nine of the team's 23 goals.
 
Even though three Titan goalkeepers saw action through the first 10 games of the year, the Aggies will most likely face goalkeeper Noa Schumacher. With five victories, out of her seven appearances in goal, the redshirt freshman will enter with a 1.31 goals against average and a .571 save percentage.
 
Cal State Fullerton's trio of goalkeepers recorded 23 saves during non-conference play, nearly one-half the total opposing netminders have posted this season (42).
 
Expect both teams to keep their opponent's 'keeper on her toes all night long since these teams both average a league-high 15.10 shots per game.

Series Record: Cal State Fullerton leads 3-12-1
Last Cal State Fullerton Win: 10/9/15 — 1-0 at Cal State Fullerton
Last UC Davis Win: 10/11/18 — 2-1 at Aggie Soccer Field
Last Five Results: W, T (2OT), W, L, L (2OT)
 
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
Anteater Stadium has treated UC Davis well in recent seasons since the last two games played on UC Irvine's turf resulted in victories for the Aggies. Women's soccer would love nothing more than to extend its win streak at Irvine to three games before returning home for its first BWC games at Aggie Soccer Field.
 
The 2019 season has been a challenging one for the Anteaters, who dropped nine of 10 non-conference games. After opening the season with a three-game losing streak, UCI shut out Northern Colorado before falling in its next six games. However, of those nine losses, six took place against teams that were nationally ranked or received votes.
 
Throughout the Anteaters' first 10 games of the year, they were out-scored 22-8, and recorded 22 shots on goal compared to their opponents' collective 63.
 
Led by senior midfielder Jessica Miclat and sophomore midfielder Scarlett Camberos with two apiece, five different Anteaters scored a goal this this season.
 
Series Record: UC Irvine leads 5-8-4
Last UC Irvine Win: 10/13/16 — 1-0 at Aggie Soccer Field
Last UC Davis Win: 10/12/17 — 1-0 at Anteater Stadium
Last Five Results: T (2OT), W, L, W, L
 
TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES
As ambassadors for the fifth-ranked public school in the nation, UC Davis student-athletes take great pride in succeeding in the classroom, on the field and in the community. Majors for this year's roster include:
 
Animal Science: Casey Palmer
Biomedical Engineering: Hailey Rittershofer
Civil and Environmental Engineering: Monet Kunz
Communication: Roisin Allaeddini, Janae Gonzalez
Design: Emma Hasco
Environmental Policy Analysis & Planning: Courtney Van Winkle
International Relations: Lauren Bouvia, Mahlah Catline
Managerial Economics: Brianna Duckett, Olivia Jones
Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior: Jessica Lima, Haileigh Rose, Aliyah Walker
Undeclared: Alexa Aguirre, Holly Cook, Alana Curtis, Yasmeen Dmeiri, Leslie Fregoso, Clarissa Grajeda, Brianna Guerra, Mirai Hayakawa, Tami Kwong, Ariana Quintero, Nicki Rucki, Janessa Staab, Lexi Trucco, Francesca Van Norden, Ana Williams
 
QUICK KICKS

• Opposing goalkeepers better prepare themselves for an onslaught of shots since the Aggies are tied with Cal State Fullerton (Thursday's opponent) with a league-high average of 15.10 shots per game
• The team is also ranked No. 3 in the league in points (39), points per game (3.90), goals (14), goals per game (1.40), assists (11), assists per game (1.10), goals allowed (11), and goals against average (1.10)
• Of the Aggies' 11 goals allowed, three took place in one game when they visited Oregon State
• Casey Palmer and Leslie Fregoso are tied for fourth among all league players, with three goals each, and are tied for seventh with seven points
• Junior goalkeeper Nicki Rucki leads the league with her 0.67 GAA and .840 save percentage
• With its 3-1 home win against Toledo, earned on Sept. 13, UC Davis won its fourth game of the year; in 2018, it did not collect its fourth win until league play commenced
• The Aggies' 11 saves at Oregon State are the most recorded by a Big West team this year
• Women's soccer's Sept. 6 game at Portland State is one that two student-athletes will never forget since Ana Williams and Janessa Staab each scored their first goal as an Aggie
• Through the first two weeks of the season, 32 Big West players registered a goal, with only three scoring on multiple occasions
• Fregoso and Palmer each scored twice against Sacramento State and Pacific, respectively, in the team's first two games of the year
• UC Davis topped Sacramento State, 3-1 in the team's season opener, followed by a 3-0 result at Pacific in the first road game of the year
• With that result, the Aggies extended their unbeaten streak vs. the Tigers to seven games
• Leading 1-0, Casey Palmer's second career brace, thanks to goals scored in the 83rd and 87th minute, sealed the result at Pacific
• Palmer joins Rochelle van Buskirk (both earned in '09) as Aggies who have multiple braces to their credit since the program joined the Big West in 2007
• The Aggies' 3-1 season-opening victory continues a positive trend: Of their eight season openers at Aggie Soccer Field, as a Big West team, their record is 6-1-1
• By scoring twice in that season opener, vs. Sacramento State, redshirt freshman midfielder Leslie Fregoso was the first Aggie to record a brace in her debut game
• Fregoso is one of 10 Aggies, in the program's Division I era, to score multiple goals in one game
• Other Aggies that comprise that list include Casey Palmer (2018), Rachel Ahr ('15 and '16), Haley Hughes ('14), Sienna Drizin ('12), Lisa Kemp ('11), Marisa Boge ('09), Rochelle van Buskirk ('09, twice), Dayna Dumont ('07), Samantha Faber ('07)
• Casey Palmer scored her second career brace when UC Davis visited Pacific on Aug. 29
• Of the players listed above, Dumont is the only Aggie to record a hat trick, which took place at home vs. San Francisco on Sept. 14
• With that 3-1 win, women's soccer is responsible for earning UC Davis' inaugural Causeway Cup points of the season
• The Causeway Cup is a regional rivalry between UC Davis, Sacramento State and its 18 common teams
• By scoring twice in her inaugural game as an Aggie, Fregoso earned the first Big West Offensive Player of the Week award of the year
• Fregoso is the Aggies' first Offensive Player of the Week selection since Sept. 18, 2018, when Emma Hasco ended a year-and-a-half-long drought
• Staab also enjoyed an outstanding Aggie debut of her own by recording an assist on two of three goals
• When the Ags faced Eastern Washington on August 26, 2016, in a neutral-site match in Las Vegas, Nicole Carson recorded an assist on both of her team's goals
• That marked the last time an Aggie earned multiple assists in a single game
• The Aggies continues their dominance of this regional rivalry with this year's win, and improved its record against the Hornets to 13-5-3
• UC Davis won six games, lost two and tied one, out of the nine Causeway Cup rivalry games hosted at Aggie Soccer Field

UC DAVIS VS. THE BIG WEST
Entering this week's games, UC Davis holds the following league rankings:

Team
Shots: T-1st, 15.10
Points: 3rd, 39
Goals: 3rd, 14
Goals Per Game: 3rd, 1.40
Assists: 3rd, 11
Assists Per Game: 3rd, 1.10
Goals Allowed: 3rd, 11
Goals Against Average: 3rd, 1.10
Saves: T-4th, 45
Shutouts: T-4th, 3
Fouls: 6th, 95
Corners: 3rd, 49
Offsides: 9th, 11
 
Individuals
Shots: Leslie Fregoso – 6th, 20; Janae Gonzalez – 7th, 19; Mahlah Catline – T-8th, 18
Shots Per Game: Casey Palmer – 4th, 2.67; Mahlah Catline – 5th, 2.57; Leslie Fregoso – 8th, 2.00; Janae Gonzalez – 9th, 1.90
Points: Leslie Fregoso, Casey Palmer – T-7th, 7
Points Per Game: Casey Palmer — 5th, 1.17; Mahlah Catline — 8th, 0.71; Leslie Fregoso – 9th, 0.70
Goals: Leslie Fregoso, Casey Palmer — T-4th, 3
Goals Per Game: Casey Palmer — 4th, 0.50; Leslie Fregoso — 6th, 0.30; Mahlah Catline — 9th, 0.29
Assists: Ana Williams, Janessa Staab — T-6th, 2
Assists Per Game: Ana Williams, Janessa Staab — T-7th, 0.20
Goals Against Average: Nicki Rucki — 1st, 0.67; Jessica Lima – T-8th, 1.75
Save Percentage: Nicki Rucki — 1st, .840; Jessica Lima – 4th, .774
Saves: Jessica Lima — T-6th, 24; Nicki Rucki — T-9th, 21
Saves Per Game: Jessica Lima – 4th, 4.80; Nicki Rucki — 10th, 3.00
Shutouts: Nicki Rucki — T-6th, 2
Shutouts Per Game: Nicki Rucki — T-6th, 0.29

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
This season, UC Davis holds the following records when broken down by the following categories:

5-5 overall

2-2 at home
3-3 on the road
0-0 in neutral site matches

0-0 against ranked opponents

3-4 in shutouts
0-0 in overtime
0-0 in double overtime

2-4 in games decided by one goal
2-0 in games decided by two goals
1-1 in games decided by three or more goals

5-0 when UC Davis scores first
0-5 when opponents score first

4-0 leading at halftime
0-2 trailing at halftime
1-3 tied at halftime

4-1 when the Aggies outshoot opponents
1-4 when opponents outshoot the Aggies
0-0 equal number of shots

1-2 when the Aggies record more saves
4-3 when opponents record more saves
0-0 equal number of saves

4-1 when the Aggies take more corner kicks
1-4 when opponents take more corner kicks
0-0 equal number of corner kicks

3-2 when the Aggies commit more fouls
2-3 when opponents commit more fouls
0-0 equal number of fouls committed

HELLO AMERICA!
UC Davis is featured in one of ESPN3's four Big West women's soccer broadcasts when ESPN and league officials announced its schedule on Aug. 28. On October 18, ESPN3 will stream the Aggies' 7 p.m. road match at Long Beach State for a national audience.
 
UC Davis' last appearance on ESPN or one of its networks took place on Oct. 12, 2017, at UC Irvine. That night, the Aggies shut out the Anteaters on their own turf by a 1-0 score.

PART OF A PRESTIGIOUS TWO-MEMBER CLUB
UC Davis head coach Tracy Hamm is one of only two American women to hold the prestigious United European Football Association "A" Coaching License, a journey that is the subject of "Coach," a documentary that premiered in New York this past summer.
 
The UEFA "A" License is a coaching license mandated by UEFA, the official governing body of European football. The license is one level below the UEFA Pro License and allows holders to become head coaches of European youth teams up to age 18, reserve teams (also known as 'B' teams) for top-flight clubs, and men's professional second-tier clubs. Nearly 50,000 coaches currently possess the UEFA "A" License, but only one percent of those are women.

She earned her UEFA "B" License from the Welsh FA in 2016, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "B" Coaching License in 2017, and United Soccer Coaches (formerly the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) National Diploma in 2009.
 
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES, BREAK A WINDOW
The subject of a 25-minute film that premiered earlier this year, "Coach" chronicles Hamm's journey to earn the internationally renowned UEFA "A" coaching license with the Welsh Football Association after her efforts to pursue a top license from the United States Soccer Federation were rebuffed thanks to regulations that required candidates to have three years of professional playing experience.
 
"It was frustrating because I felt I had done the right things to be waived into the licensing program," Hamm said. "I think it's important to note that when U.S. Soccer wrote the waiver requirements which said you had to have played three years professionally, they didn't write it maliciously trying to alienate women, they wrote it for men. They didn't even consider that women would be able to be waived in when the opportunity to play professionally in the United States wasn't even a thing.

"So, now, there are women that are in their 30's and 40's that couldn't have played professionally and still can't get into the license program because, now, they've been coaching for 20 years, but they don't have that pro playing experience. So, I start thinking, 'How can you get waived in? Why doesn't coaching experience negate playing experience?'"

Produced by University of California alumnae Courtney Levinsohn, a sport psychologist based in New York, and directed by the duo of Matthew Ellison and Jordan Axelrod, the film has been making the rounds to rave reviews at various film festivals the past few months — including a stop last week at the 11th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in New York.
 
With the premise of using the film as motivation to get more women into coaching, Hamm — one of only two women invited to attend the course — found herself among elite company, surrounded by coaches and current English Premier League players who were on their own path to post-playing careers.
 
After two years in the making — three when you include her time spent in the UEFA "B" course — Hamm was rewarded with her "A" license in late May, making her only the second American woman (Denise Reddy, the head coach of Sky Blue FC in the Women's Professional Soccer League who now holds the UEFA Pro License, being the other) to hold the license and placing her among the one percent of women out of nearly 50,000 coaches in the world with an UEFA "A" license.

THE TRACY HAMM ERA BEGINS AT UC DAVIS
On May 6, 2019, former San Francisco State head coach Tracy Hamm was named UC Davis' new head coach.
 
Named head coach of San Francisco State's program in January of 2015, Hamm arrived on campus and immediately set out to turn around a program that had posted a winning overall record only twice in the previous 11 years, guiding the Golden Gators to four consecutive winning campaigns, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2017 (10-5-3) and 2018 (10-6-3).
 
Sporting an overall record of 36-25-12 in her four years at the helm, including winning records in the always difficult California Collegiate Athletic Association in 2017 and 2018, Hamm led San Francisco State to a berth in last season's CCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, advancing on penalty kicks over Cal State San Marcos in the first round before facing No. 10 UC San Diego in the semifinals.
 
Her first two seasons saw the Golden Gators post back-to-back winning records for the first time since 2002 with identical 8-7-3 marks in 2015 and 2016. She improved on those finishes with her first 10-win season in 2017 — the most since the 2010 squad finished 11-5-5 overall and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
Impacting the program on the field and in the classroom, she helped student-athletes earn 48 CCAA All-Academic Team awards, 14 All-CCAA women's soccer honors — including a trio of first-team selections, two United Soccer Coaches all-region selections, and the first-ever CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
In addition to her duties at San Francisco State, Hamm also served as the head varsity girls coach at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco last season, leading the Wildcats to the 2019 West Catholic Athletic League title, a berth in the CIF Central Coast Section championship game, and a spot in the CIF Northern California Regionals.
 
Prior to her arrival in San Francisco, the Moraga, Calif., native served as head coach at Santa Rosa Junior College from 2012-14, leading the Bear Cubs to an impressive 42-15-7 overall record, a 2012 Big 8 Conference title, and consecutive berths in the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs.
 
A four-year letter winner for the Golden Bears from 2002-06, Hamm was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic Team selection (2003-05) and two-year team captain (2004-05), starting every match on the back line for California throughout her final two seasons. Throughout her career with the Golden Bears, she played a key role in their three NCAA Tournament berths (2002, 2004-05).

Hamm led the team with nine goals and was named Cal's Freshman of the Year before earning United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors two years later as part of a record-setting defense in 2005. That year, she helped the Golden Bears set the school mark for team goals against average (ranking seventh in the NCAA at 0.48), while tying the record for fewest goals allowed (11) and shutouts (14) in a season.

Following her collegiate career, she played professionally in the Women's Professional Soccer for FC Gold Pride after being selected in the fourth round of the 2008 WPS General Draft. She also represented the Atlanta Beat in 2009.

Hamm graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications from California in 2006, and holds two master's degrees: an Ed.M. in counseling specializing in sport psychology from Boston University (2011) and a master's in coaching an athletic administration from Concordia University (2014).
 
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Women's soccer's 2019 roster provides first-year head coach Tracy Hamm a luxury: This talented team features, experience and potential with its 15 returners and 14 newcomers.
 
Returners: Roisin Allaeddini, Lauren Bouvia, Mahlah Catline, Bryanna Duckett, Leslie Fregoso, Janae Gonzalez, Emma Hasco, Olivia Jones, Monet Kunz, Jessica Lima, Casey Palmer, Hailey Rittershofer, Haileigh Rose, Courtney Van Winkle, Aliyah Walker
Newcomers: Alexa Aguirre, Holly Cook, Alana Curtis, Yasmeen Dmeiri, Clarissa Grajeda, Brianna Guerra, Mirai Hayakawa, Tami Kwong, Ariana Quintero, Nicki Rucki, Janessa Staab, Lexi Trucco, Francesca Van Norden, Ana Williams
 
 
 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis.
 
Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
 
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 athletics programs.

Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year.

All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs.

To learn more about Marya Welch Initiative projects, like this group on Facebook, or join this groundbreaking program by clicking here, contacting Assistant AD for Leadership Giving and Alumni Engagement Liz Martin at (530) 752-7326 or emartin@ucdavis.edu.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley.
 
The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.